A fleeting belly through belly dancing - G-rated, I promise
I have done it! On a whim, I joined a gym! I am so excited!
The first day I was there, I was amazed by all the machinery. Exercising would be easy, considering the machines will do it for you. I flashed back to a commercial on television when I was a little girl, of a well-shaped young lady advertising a weight loss machine. She stood on what looked like a stationary walking machine, except that she was leaning backward into a sling thing that wrapped around her derriere and the sling vibrated back and forth. I suppose the idea was to shake the fat off. I wonder if many of those sold.
But, I digress. I didn't see any of those machines in the gym, but there were lots of others, many of them with weights attached. I imagined that they would stretch me thin. The young lady who was showing me around got on each machine and demonstrated how they worked. I imagined completely wrong! These were machines of torture!
I asked the young lady if there wasn't anything I could do to 'work up' to the machines. She said I could take a Zumba class. Excuse my French, but that kicked my butt! I asked for something that was more my slothful speed.
She brought me to a window that looked into a class of belly dancers. Belly dancing is something I've always thought I'd like to try, but let's face the music, please. I've had umpteen children, lived at least 34 years and I haven't gotten off the couch in the last 12 of those 34 years! My belly and everything else need help. But, as I watched the women in this class, I thought to myself that this was something I could do. The only thing the ladies were doing was standing there. I can handle that, as long as they allow a sitting break every five minutes or so. I signed up.
When I told Old Man what I was doing, he looked a little queer and said, "I don't want to be anywhere around there."
"Well, you won't be. Men are not allowed. But, I could show you what I'm learning and you could do it here at home."
Old Man turned a funny shade of green. And then he changed the subject.
I joined 4 other first time belly dance class members. None of us knew what to expect, I don't think. Two of the ladies were smaller than me, but they showed signs of needing to take off some excess pounds. I wondered why the other 2 were there. One was very tall and slender. The other, though a bit shorter, was also very slender. They were so skinny, that standing side by side, they wouldn't make 1 of me.
So, there we were, 5 of us line up in a row, facing the front of the room, with the window behind. Our teacher appeared dressed in an exotic tinkley hip scarf and flowing veil. Her dark skin and hair completed the picture. She stood before us showing us the perfect posture for belly dancing. Stand straight, feet below the hips, knees slightly bent, chest up, shoulders back. Now, I ask you Dear Reader, where else will the feet be if not below the hips while standing? But, I am an eager learner, so I stood, feet below my hips, knees slightly bent, chest up (which is another blog in and of itself), shoulders back.
Be sure to read the next blog. I will include the hip snap, the snake arms and the figure eight. I know Old Man is just dying to read it. He didn't have time to let me show these moves to him. You know he still seems to be that funny shade of green. I hope he's alright.
© 2011 Carol Phares
The first day I was there, I was amazed by all the machinery. Exercising would be easy, considering the machines will do it for you. I flashed back to a commercial on television when I was a little girl, of a well-shaped young lady advertising a weight loss machine. She stood on what looked like a stationary walking machine, except that she was leaning backward into a sling thing that wrapped around her derriere and the sling vibrated back and forth. I suppose the idea was to shake the fat off. I wonder if many of those sold.
But, I digress. I didn't see any of those machines in the gym, but there were lots of others, many of them with weights attached. I imagined that they would stretch me thin. The young lady who was showing me around got on each machine and demonstrated how they worked. I imagined completely wrong! These were machines of torture!
I asked the young lady if there wasn't anything I could do to 'work up' to the machines. She said I could take a Zumba class. Excuse my French, but that kicked my butt! I asked for something that was more my slothful speed.
She brought me to a window that looked into a class of belly dancers. Belly dancing is something I've always thought I'd like to try, but let's face the music, please. I've had umpteen children, lived at least 34 years and I haven't gotten off the couch in the last 12 of those 34 years! My belly and everything else need help. But, as I watched the women in this class, I thought to myself that this was something I could do. The only thing the ladies were doing was standing there. I can handle that, as long as they allow a sitting break every five minutes or so. I signed up.
When I told Old Man what I was doing, he looked a little queer and said, "I don't want to be anywhere around there."
"Well, you won't be. Men are not allowed. But, I could show you what I'm learning and you could do it here at home."
Old Man turned a funny shade of green. And then he changed the subject.
I joined 4 other first time belly dance class members. None of us knew what to expect, I don't think. Two of the ladies were smaller than me, but they showed signs of needing to take off some excess pounds. I wondered why the other 2 were there. One was very tall and slender. The other, though a bit shorter, was also very slender. They were so skinny, that standing side by side, they wouldn't make 1 of me.
So, there we were, 5 of us line up in a row, facing the front of the room, with the window behind. Our teacher appeared dressed in an exotic tinkley hip scarf and flowing veil. Her dark skin and hair completed the picture. She stood before us showing us the perfect posture for belly dancing. Stand straight, feet below the hips, knees slightly bent, chest up, shoulders back. Now, I ask you Dear Reader, where else will the feet be if not below the hips while standing? But, I am an eager learner, so I stood, feet below my hips, knees slightly bent, chest up (which is another blog in and of itself), shoulders back.
Be sure to read the next blog. I will include the hip snap, the snake arms and the figure eight. I know Old Man is just dying to read it. He didn't have time to let me show these moves to him. You know he still seems to be that funny shade of green. I hope he's alright.
© 2011 Carol Phares
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